Mechanism for operating gates of turbines



(-No Model W. 0. HARRIS. V MEGHANISM FOR OPERATINGGATES or TURBINBS.

. Patented Oct. 28, '1890.

mumummgmp UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM C. HARRIS, OF LAWRENCE, MASSACHUSETTS.

MECHANISM FOR OPERATING GATES OF TURBINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,351, dated October 28, 1890.

Application filed September 26, 1389- Serial No. 325.158. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM O. HARRIS, a citizen of the United States, residing'at Lawrence, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanism for Operating the Gate of a Turbine; and I do declare the following to be a fill, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure l is a side elevation, Fig. 2 a partial vertical section, and Fig. 3 a horizontal section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1, of the casing of a turbine provided with my improvement. Fig. 4 is a view taken on line 1 a of Fig. 1, showing the gate and chute-frame in top view. Fig. 5 is a view taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 1, showing in top view the pinions and gear which operate the screws to raise and lower the gate. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the turbine casing. Fig. 7 is a vertical section of a portion of the gate, showing one of the screw-shafts as connected directly to the flange of the gate.

The improvement hereinafter described relates to the raising and lowering or to the opening and closing of the gate of the turbine, the nature of my invention being defined in the claim hereinafter presented.

In the drawings, A denotes the casing as made to receive and support a turbine wheel, the latter not being shown, the top T of said casing being chambered, as shown at B, and within said chamber is arranged an annular gear C, bearing on the bottom of said chamher, as shown, the inner periphery of said gear also bearing against, and when in operation moving around, the central portion a of.

the said top T of the casing.

Communicating with the chamber B are a series of smaller chambers b, in which are arranged pinions D E F G, each engaging the gear C. (See Figs. 2 and 5.) The said pinions are fixed to vertical screw-shafts H, con nected to the gate L by nuts 0, detachably secured to the flange K, forming a part of said gate, or said shafts are connected directly to said gate by female screws formed in said flange to receive the screw-shafts, as shown in Fig. 7. at top by plates (1, secured in position by bolts e, (see Figs. 2 and 6,) and one of the shafts H is extended above its pinion and through the cover d of its chamber, and is provided at its top with a hand-wheel f, by which the pinions and gear are operated to open and close the gate, as may be required.

From the foregoing it will be seen that by my improvement the devices for operating the gate of the turbine, except the shaft provided with the hand wheel, are arranged wholly within the casing, resulting in a saving of much space over the arrangement of the mechanism heretofore employed for the purpose, said mechanism being arranged wholly above the top of the casing, and consisting of vertical racks connected to the gate by rods passing down through the said top and into the flange of said gate, and also of standards fixed to said top and supporting in bearings at their upper ends a horizontal shaft provided with pinions which work in said racks to operate the gate, said shaft being extended beyond its bearings and at one end provided with a wheel, to the periphery of which one end of a chain is attached,which, after passing around said wheel, is connected at its other end to aweight to counteract the weight of the said gate. Furthermore, by my improvement, the pinions and gear being covered, as shown, nothing of a foreign nature which may be in the water in the flume can get between said pinions and gear to obstruct their free operation, as frequently occurs when the gate-operative mechanism is arranged as hereinbefore set f0rthviz., above the upper surface of the top of the casing.

I am aware of the reissued Patent No. 5,154, granted to A. M. Swain November 19, 1872; also of Patent No. 185,341, granted to McCormick and Brown December 12, 1876; also, of Patent No. 250,889, granted to Crocker December 13, 1881, and therefore make no claim to anything shown in either of them.

What, therefore, I- claim is- The casing A, provided with the cover T,

The chambers B and b are closed 0 having therein the chambers B and b b b b, to operate essentially as set forth and repre- 1o communicating with each other, the covers (Z sented. closing said chambers, as and for the pur- In testimony whereof Iafiix my signature in pose explained, in combination with the gear presence of two Witnesses.

5 O, the pinions engaging said gear arranged in said chambers, the screw-shafts H, fixed VILLIAM O. HARRIS. to said pinions and engaging nuts applied to Witnesses:

the gate near its periphery, and the hand- S. N. PIPER,

wheel f, fixed to one of the shafts, all arranged J. H. REID. 

